Warning of Possible TB Epidemic in Ecuador's Largest Prison

The Litoral Penitentiary

Lawyers from Ecuador's Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights warned of a possible tuberculosis epidemic in the Litoral Penitentiary, the country's largest prison, where an estimated 500 inmates are infected.


Per CIA, Ecuador population: 18m people; $14,500 GDP per capita

In a single pavilion there are 400 detainees with confirmed tuberculosis and in a second space of supposed containment, there are inmates with symptoms. The situation is aggravated because they live in an unhygienic condition with inadequate food.

There is no classification of prisoners, so inmates are all mixed according to their criminal gangs. The military does not generally interfere with the gangs and bloodshed is not uncommon. Hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2020.


The Armed Forces of Ecuador took control of Litoral Penitentiary on 25 Jul 2023 in Guayaquil. (Photo: Fuerzas Amadas/EFE)

Litoral Prison has been described as "hell on earth."

Sources:

https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2025/01/16/advierten-de-posible-epidemia-en-mayor-prision-de-ecuador/

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/12/americas/ecuador-prison-clash-litoral-penitentiary-intl-latam/index.html